The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-01-19
Thomas ]. QuvsriuS Hanged in the City Jail at
Richmond, Virginia,
Per the Murder Of Bis Cousin, Fannie Lillian
Madison, on March Is, 1886.
-Four DesPeradOes Executed In the United
States COURTYARD at Fort Smith, Ar
kansas, Yesterday Afternoon.

beings.
The prisoner passed sleepless night, most
sof the time being spent with Mr.. Beverly
crump one of his counsel, who has done
every thing to save or extend his life, and
who remained with him till a. m, and
IRON that hour until 6 o'clock he was en-
gagged In prayer and at intervals singing
hymns From O'Clock until he slept
soundiy, and then rose and ate breakfast of
tenderloin beefstesk mushrooms and egg
omelet. During the morning hours there
was much speculation as to whether the
Governor would further reprieve, aud that
question was not finally settled until some
time after noon, when Mr.. CrOmp, who had
Reen 10 see the Governor, returned to the
Jail and announced that the executive power
would not be interpOseS.
During the forenoon Captain Frank w.
Cunningham, RichmOnd's sweetest tenor
singer, who had visited the prisoner on sew
eral occasions and sung numerous hymns in
The cell, again called TO see Cluverius and
was greeted pleasantly by him. At his re.
guest Captain Cunningham sang the hymn,
'.HOW Firm Foundation, Ge Saints of the
Lord" When he had finished Captain Gun
bingham turned to Cluverius and asked,
'DO you still say that you are innocent?' to
which the prisoner replied, 81 am innocent"
Said Captain Cunningham: "Do you be-
1ieve in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
and believing in him you assert that you
are innocent, knowing that you have got TO
answer before Cod"
Again Cluverius said: 81 can say that I
sn innocent"
- Rev DR.. William f. Hatcher came to the
1aii about IL a. m aud remained with the
prisoner to the last, administering religious
consolation and praying with the prisoner.
= At noon a suit OF black clothes was
brought to the Jail and the prisoner dOnned
them. at two minutes TO l the death pro-
cession was formed, consisting of Sergeant
Smith two deputies DIR. Hatcher and the
prisoner, the latter having his hands tied in
'front.' of his body, end from neck to ankles
enyelOped in an old-fsshiOned ladies' water
proof cloak. From the cell the march pro-
Rressed along the corridor and down two
flights of stairs to the lower court of the Jail,
and then into the yard fronting the cells of
the white prisoners, forty policemen being on
duty TO keep back the crowd. The prisoner,
though thin and pale, moved with steady
steps TO the scsffold, which he assembled in
1he same quiet manner aud stood on the
trap. Sergeant Smith then read the death
warrant. or copy Of the judgment OF the
court, which the prisoner listened TO with
bowed head and apparent close attention.
When the sergeant had concluded he asked
fhe doomed man if he had anything to say,
and Cluverius replied, "N0, sir; nothing at
ALL" bis voice being scarcely audible.
DR.. Hatcher then knelt and offered prayer
and when he had finished he turned to the
prisoner, who said few words ina low,tone
and DR.. Hatcher turning to the crowd in the
10 after one word for him, and that is that
in this moment of death he carries to the
grave no feeling Of Il-Will toward any man
/, on earth"
DR.. Hatcher then left the scaffold. Raising
both hands as he went out, he said that the
prisoner had asserted his innocence to the
last Just before leaving his cell. When DR..
. Hatcher had gone Deputy Sergeant Allen
tied the prisoners knees tightly together,
put the rope around his neck and adjusted
III :. E.os,, L.
Sergeant Smith gave the signal, aud at los
I O'Clock
THE TRAP WAS SPRUNG.
There was sudden swish, followed by the
clang of the IA ling trap door, and the next
instant the body OF Cluverius was at the
end Of the rope, over ten feet below where he
had been standing. The rope which was
made of parti-colored silk, stretched over a
f0ot, and the toes OF the hanged man nearly
touched the brick pavement beneath. A
minute of quiet, and then there was con-
siderable struggling, lasting several minutes,
together with heavy, stehtorious breathing,
indicating that death was being produced by
straDgulauion. After sixteen minutes the
physicians pronounced the body dead, and
twenty minutes after the trap was sprung it
was taken down and placed in a PLAIN
wooden coffin and turned over to the under
tsker 10 be prepared for burial at his former
home in King and Queens County.
None of Cl1veTius' relatives were with him
To-day. His brother, who had been Sd de-
voted to him since his arrest, twenty-five
months ago, parted with him Yesterday.
His father and mother, owing to feeble
health, did not come to the city to bid fare
well to the doomed man.
HISTORY OF THE CRIME
On the morning of March Ii, 1885, L. Rose,
keeper of the old city reservoir in the western
part Of the city, in making his usual rounds
I. of inspection discovered the body of a
woman in the reservoir. He at once notifie ed
the Coroner, who had the body taken from
the water. 1t proved to be that OF good
locking woman of about twenty-five years.
The Coroner, after viewing the remains, pro-
nounced it a case of s9icide, and had the
body removed TO the city alms-house for
Identification. Mr.. Peter j. Burton, re-
porter of the Richmond Dispatch subse.
quently went to the reservoir and then to
the mOrgue, and his investigation resulted
IN the formulation OF a murder theory upon
= chain of circustantial evidence which con-
WINGED many minds. a further examine
hon of the body disclosed the fact that the
young woman was far advanced in preg-
nancy. During two days many people
ssw the body, and it was finally
recognized by two young ladies
(tke Misses D1nstan) as friend
Of theirs, Miss Fannie Lillian Madison, OF
King and Queens County, but had for some
time past been teaching school in Bath
County. The Coroner's inquest resulted in
verdict of probable murder. Detectives
and police were set to work and in a short
time brought to light circumstances that
added strength TO the murder theory. A
woman who had registered at the American
Hotel on March -, under the name Of Miss
+. L. Morton, was missing from the hotel,
and her disappearance and the finding of the
body about the same time furnished the
fatal clew, but for which the murderer
might have never been known. While the
so-called miss Morton" was at the hotel she
wrote and received several notes, but one di-
rected Oy her was never delivered, and after
her departure from the hotel it was torn to
pieces and cast into the waste-basket The
scraps of this note and the envelope were
subsequently brought to light, and when
pasted together it served as one of the
: principal links in the chain which con
victed the murderer, it being adj
: dressed TO 7. j. Cluverius. Fur
tAer inquiry developed the fact that